One Hell Of A Year
by taylor-996
Summary: A very sick Harry finds out the people he considered friends, betrayed him. As school begins, he makes new friends of former enemies. He will find out the lies he, and everyone else, have been fed for years. Slash HPDM SSSBRL LMTMR Does not follow OotP!
1. Prologue

**So this is my new story. I don't know exactly how I got the idea but it kind of came from a dream about myself. Anywho, I hope you all like it. Reviews would be great. Thanks.**

**This chapter has been re-edited. I'm warning you all now, this timeline is way off from the canon version. I have it more modern than back in the 90's or whenever it's supposed to be (hence the fashion and language difference).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Harry Potter's characters or the canon plot in here. The rest is mine. I do not make any money for this venture. It's purely for everyone's entertainment.**

**________________________________________________________________________**

Prologue

Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, stood on platform 9 ¾ at King's Cross Station. He attempted to find his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger but no where could he make out the tall, redheaded boy and bushy-haired girl. Sighing, he dragged his trunk over to the Hogwart's Express. Climbing on board, he found an empty compartment near the back of the train, usually where he and his friends sat.

The train took off not much later after all the students boarded and began to settle down for the long ride. Harry waited rather impatiently in his compartment for his friends to come find him but several hours into the trip, he gave up hope of them coming. Eventually he got fed up and decided to go find them.

He was incredibly anxious to meet up with his friends again. For two whole months, he had not heard a word from anyone. Many times had he sent Hedwig off with letters to everyone but no one would respond to him. At one point, Dumbledore replied back and told him that he was not to talk to anyone for everyone's safety. It had made him so angry that he just kept sending the letters, completely disregarding what the headmaster had to say.

Thanks to having Sirius alive and well, the Dursley's had left him alone for the most part. Unfortunately that meant he had a lot of spare time. All of his summer homework was finished within the first couple of weeks after school let out. This left the last six weeks of summer holidays with nothing to do. Harry used some of his Gringotts money, which he traded in for muggle money, to purchase new glasses. They were simple yet thick, rectangular frames and completely black except for the lenses.

Harry also decided to change a bit of his image. This included getting a haircut to trim some of the unruliness from his original style. Now it was messy but it looked good compared to the rat's nest it used to be. He bought some new clothes, ones that actually fit him. They were mostly in dark colors but some had random light-colored designs on them. From what he was aware of some people labeled the fashion as 'emo' but he really didn't care. They fit, were comfortable, looked good and did not previously belong to his cousin Dudley; that was all that mattered to him. The last thing he did was get a lip piercing, a small ring on the right side of his bottom lip. Harry wasn't vain or anything, but he admitted he did look smashing in the new ensemble. He just hoped his friends would like how he looked now.

Checking every compartment on the train, he eventually found all of his friends close to the front of the train. He was about to enter the small room when his head started to spin. It had been happening on and off all summer. He would get random dizzy spells and unusually insane headaches quite often. At first he thought it had to do with his connection to Voldemort but his visions began to taper off as he practiced meditating and clearing his mind completely before sleeping. Sliding down the wall, he waited for the spell to pass before getting up again.

While sitting on the floor, he tuned into the voices coming from within the compartment. It seemed that Hermione, Ron, Neville, Seamus, Ginny and Dean were all inside. They seemed to be talking about something and hearing their tones, they didn't seem to approve of whatever or whoever they were discussing.

Casting a small spell enabling him to listen in on the conversation, he stayed silent.

"You're sure he doesn't know we're here?" Ginny inquired.

"Yeah. I don't want that murderer coming anywhere near me, not after he killed Cedric," Ron spoke this time.

A murmur of agreements rang through the group.

Again Ron spoke, "Dumbledore even gave us money to be friends with him for the past four years but now I'm not taking that chance anymore. I don't want to die!"

"Harry really killed Cedric?" Neville asked nervously. "My Gran said he did but I don't know."

"Of course 'e did! You-know-who is dead, 'Arry is the only one who could 'ave done it," responded Seamus.

"I refuse to be friends with someone who doesn't take other's people's lives into account," Hermione added in her two cents.

Cancelling the spell, Harry stood up. He became light-headed again but struggled through it as he raced back to his compartment. Once inside he collapsed in a heap on one of the benches. Staring at the opposite wall, he refused to cry. He would not show any weakness to anyone, no matter what; even if his heart was clenching at the loss of his once best friends.


	2. Chapter One

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, added my story on alerts and all that jazz. It was great to know that this idea is getting so much attention. I will warn you though that Harry's illness is going to start off a chain reaction not through other sicknesses but through events.**

**Oh and I appreciate the feedback from several reviewers but if you are going to give me criticism, I would appreciate constructive criticism and examples. There was one review that helped me a lot but it was kind of vague. Thanks though. I hope you all enjoy the new chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Harry Potter's characters or the canon plot in here. The rest is mine. I do not make any money for this venture. It's purely for everyone's entertainment.**

Chapter One

By the end of the train ride, Harry had a severe migraine. As soon as the train came to a halt, he climbed off with his trunk in one hand and Hedwig's cage in the other. He was ready to drop as soon as he entered the swarm of students on the platform. The pounding increased even more with the volume level of all the students. Pushing through the crowd, Harry left his luggage sitting with the rest and went to go find a carriage.

After several minutes of searching he finally found an empty one. He nearly jumped out of his shoes at the sight of the creature pulling the cart. Climbing inside he pulled up his hood and attempted to relax to alleviate some of the pressure on his brain.

A minute or two later, the carriage door opened allowing three other students inside. Harry stayed still; he didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment. He hoped the others would be quiet and just leave him alone for the rest of the ride.

"Did you see the mudblood hanging onto the Weasel like that? Disgusting," the aristocratic voice of one Draco Malfoy said appalled as soon as the door shut.

Gagging noises sounded from someone. "How could you not see those two together though? At least now we don't have to see them act all inconspicuously in love. Even though bleaching my eyes right now would be a good idea," said Blaise Zabini from across the carriage.

"I wonder where Potter was. Usually his little fan base is surrounding him but he wasn't there," Pansy Parkinson retorted.

Harry turned to face them. "You really should be careful with what you say in public," he advised pulling his hood down.

"Potter?! Whoa, what happened to you?" Draco asked, observing the smaller boy's appearance. He ran a critical eye up and down Harry's body. He had to admit to himself that he did like what he saw.

"I got a bit of a make-over. If you don't approve, I really don't care," Harry bit out. Dizziness struck again causing him to breathe deeply.

"What's wrong with you? You're looking a bit peaky. If you throw up in here, I'll hex you so bad," threatened Draco, inching away from the severely pale boy.

"It's none of your business. I'm just not feeling very well," Harry said clutching his head as his headache began to worsen.

Just as the carriage pulled up in front of the castle and they piled out, Harry gave a moan before passing out.

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Draco cried out in surprise as the Gryffindor tumbled from the carriage steps to the ground. Quickly he caught the boy. Sighing he turned to his friends. "I'll take him to the Infirmary. Go on without me," he said heading into the castle.

The boy in his arms was incredibly light with a very petite frame, almost feminine. Potter sure had changed over the summer. He didn't seem to be as much of a ragamuffin as usual either. It suited him, as much as he hated to say it. He clutched the boy closer to him as they neared the Infirmary, where Madame Pomphrey was bustling about.

As soon as she spotted the two boys coming in through the door, she rushed over and directed Draco to place Harry on a bed so she could examine him. "What happened to Mr. Potter, and if I hear you two were fighting again, I'm personally going to kick you both out of here right now," she warned.

Draco scowled at the old woman. "Do not jump to conclusions so quickly. Potter rode with us in the carriage on the way to school. He looked really pale and flinched every time there was a loud noise. As we were leaving the carriage, he just fainted. I do not know what is wrong but he said he had not been feeling very well," explained the blonde.

Madame Pomphrey stared at him for a minute before turning away to access the situation, mumbling something about teenagers being bipolar with friends. Draco merely rolled his

eyes before exiting the Infirmary and heading down to the Great Hall for supper.________________________________________________________________________

Harry groggily opened his eyes to find himself lying on a bed in Hogwarts' hospital wing. He was completely disoriented. It didn't help that his head was positively killing him at the moment. At least he wasn't dizzy or wanting to throw up… yet.

A witch in white appeared on his right. "Drink this dear, it will help your headache," she murmured.

The foul yellow liquid slid down his throat as he attempted to swallow. Eventually he managed to get it all down without too much trouble. "What happened?" he whispered to the nurse.

"You fainted on your way into the castle. Mr. Malfoy brought you in. Can you tell me what's all wrong and how long you have been feeling like this?" inquired the medi-witch.

Harry took a moment to gather his thoughts. "I've been getting really dizzy and sick feeling since the beginning of summer. The headaches have been getting worse since then too. I thought that it could just have to do with my scar but I haven't been having visions or anything lately. Malfoy brought me in? Why?" he said quietly.

Madame Pomphrey bustled around gathering several potions along the way. "He was the one to catch you when you fainted. I'm going to run a scan on you just to see what happens to be the problem," explained the woman as she cast several diagnostic spells.

Harry relaxed into the soft mattress as he let her work away. A small, quick intake of air alerted him to the fact that she was surprised about something. "What is it?" he asked worried.

A frown marred her face as she looked over the information from her scan. "I will be right back. Do not leave from here Mr. Potter." The woman left the hospital wing quickly, the scan clutched tightly in her hand.

Confused and scared, Harry pulled the blanket on him up to his chin before closing his eyes. Within seconds he was fast asleep.

________________________________________________________________________

Draco dabbed at his mouth with a napkin, finally finishing his meal. Gazing around the Great Hall, it appeared as if everyone else was nearly finished as well.

Out of nowhere, the school's nurse came running up to the Head table. She talked quickly with Dumbledore before the two strode out of the hall and in the general direction of the hospital wing.

Curious, Draco excused himself from his friends. He followed the two, keeping to the shadows so he would not be noticed.

Once arriving at the large medical wing, Draco situated himself close enough to hear but far away enough to not be seen.

"Now what is wrong with Harry, Poppy?" questioned the headmaster leaning over the pale boy.

"Albus, Mr. Potter has a brain tumor. If we don't do something soon, he will die," the nurse said, trembling.

Draco froze. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Slowly he backed away and ran down to the dungeons.


	3. Chapter 2

**PLEASE READ: I'm incredibly sorry for the slow update. I also apologize for this crap-tastic chapter. It explains a little bit but it's mostly a filler for now. I haven't figured out or remembered how this story was supposed to go. Anyways, I hope this is okay. Thanks everyone!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Harry Potter's characters or the canon plot in here. The rest is mine. I do not make any money for this venture. It's purely for everyone's entertainment.**

Chapter Two

Slowly Harry dragged himself from the depths of his mind back to the reality of being in the hospital wing, still. He had hoped previously had just been a dream or something. Waking back up here just made him realize that there truly was something wrong with him, and that even the nurse was worried. It was obviously bad enough that the headmaster had to be called in for the old man was standing beside the bed talking in hushed whispers with said nurse.

Harry was still a little angry with Dumbledore for what happened over the summer. Unless he was just trying to keep him away from the knowledge that his friends had so easily betrayed him, Harry was not quite sure about that piece of information. He was so beyond confused on nearly everything at that point that he just decided to let things go on and play it by ear.

The boy's attention was directed back to the two people standing near his bed. They had finally turned towards him, realizing that he was awake at last. For a moment, no one spoke. "What's wrong?" he asked lightly. The obvious worry etched into their faces, didn't startle him as much as he thought it would. It always seemed as if something was wrong with him. What did scare him though, was that no matter how bad things got, Dumbledore's eyes always had that brilliant sparkle in their depths. Now however, there was absolutely no sign of that twinkle.

Poppy Pomphrey glanced over at the headmaster for a moment. She received a small nod in some sort of confirmation. "Mr. Potter…Harry, there is something we need to talk to you about. It is a very serious matter that we must discuss and we will need your full support on what must be decided," explained the nurse.

"Okay…" Harry replied, getting antsier by the second. Now he was definitely scared. Never before had he witnessed these two people so grim before.

Sighing, the woman sat on the edge of his bed. Without looking in his eyes, she explained, "Mr. Potter, you have a brain tumor. You will have to undergo surgery and chemotherapy. Luckily because our world is so adept at using magic while healing, the chances of your complete recovery are greater than they would be if you were to do the process in the muggle world. If you don't agree to this option, there are no other choices to choose from. If you don't agree, you can and most probably will die."

The room was absolutely silent. Harry stared at the nurse, not blinking at all. He really had not expected to hear that from her. His mind was a complete blank. No coherent thought would enter his consciousness. Finally he worked up enough brain capacity to utter,

"What?"

"H-how can that happen?" He stuttered. This didn't make sense to him at all. How in the world did something like this happen so fast? Why did it happen so fast?

"We do not know. The tumor grew at an alarming rate. We assume it must have already been there and just received a rather large amount of stimulation to create its damage. Though at this point in time, we are not sure what could have caused this to happen," answered Poppy.

Harry lay there, stunned. "It was the Cruciatus Curse," he murmured.

"What are you talking about Harry?" Dumbledore questioned the boy.

Looking up at them, he explained what he was thinking. "When I was in the graveyard with Voldemort and the other Death Eaters during the third task last year, Voldemort cast the Cruciatus Curse on me twice when we were supposed to duel each other. The energy from the curses might have been enough to do this, I think," said Harry. He honestly didn't know how it was all supposed to work but he assumed that this was how it had happened. If not, he was just as confused as Dumbledore and Pomphrey then.

"That could very well be the cause. We need you to think about this Harry. We will need to know what your answer is as soon as possible. For as far along as this tumor is, we don't know how long you will have left to live if precautions aren't taken," the only woman said. She patted him on the arm gently before looking away. "Get some rest dear."

"I'm feeling alright now. Can I go to Gryffindor tower? I'd kind of like to sleep in my own bed. I promise to come back here if I feel any worse," Harry said. He sat up, hoping to slip out of the bed.

Poppy gave him a scrutinizing look before giving a terse nod. "Alright but if you even feel the least bit dizzy or feel any pain, I want you back here immediately. Do you understand me?" She ordered.

"Oh, Mr. Potter, the Gryffindor password is Fizzing Whizzbees," the Headmaster made a point of saying before his student took off.

Giving a quick nod, Harry jumped up before racing from the Hospital Wing. Realizing he was extremely hungry after missing the Welcoming Feast, he made a quick detour down to the kitchens for a bite to eat. Just as he passed through the portrait after tickling the portrait's pear, he was nearly knocked off his feet by a small creature.

"Hello Dobby. How was your summer?" Harry laughed. The little house elf lead him further into the warm kitchens before forcing him into a seat at one of the now empty tables.

"Harry Potter Sir! Dobby is so happy to see you Sir! Dobby had a wonderful summer Sir. How was Harry Potter Sir's summer? Would Harry Potter Sir like something to eat or drink?" the elf rambled as he ran around gathering food and drinks without Harry even answering.

"My summer was okay. A bit boring. I'm definitely glad to be back at Hogwarts though. Thanks Dobby," Harry said as he dug into the leftovers acquired from the evening meal that the creature had set in front of him.

"You's very welcome Sir," said dobby nodding vigoursly.

Harry wasn't quite sure why the house elf was nodding but he didn't say anything out loud. He grinned at the creature while continuing to eat the provided food.

"Thanks again Dobby. I'll come back and visit soon," Harry said, waving as he left the kitchens to head up to his dorms.

"Good bye Harry Potter Sir!" Dobby cried, waving frantically.

Harry chuckled as he made his way further through the castle. Suddenly he stopped as he neared the portrait of the Fat Lady. What would he do if had to confront the people he had once called friends? Gulping, he summoned all of his courage, giving the password he strode into the common room. Luckily for him, no one was in the common room. He assumed they had all gone to bed by now. Thinking along the same lines, he made a beeline for the stairs up to the boy's dorms. He quickly changed into his pyjamas once at his bed and climbed in. Almost immediately he succumbed to the fatigue that was plaguing his mind. Only to be thrust into nightmares about his ex-friends, his enemies and now the tumor that could potentially kill him.


	4. Chapter 3

_**I have to admit, I'm slightly disappointed. I had over 300 people read Chapter 2 but I only received a few reviews. I honestly would like more than that. Even if it's just 'update' or 'good job', whatever I just want to know that my work is being appreciated. Thanks a million to .Planned for the great advice, this chapter is totally dedicated to you!**_

_**I suggest everyone listen to Crash and Burn by Savage Garden. It's such a sad but beautiful song. Savage Garden is just amazing but this song is probably my favorite and I think it just seems to fit with this fic. Also listen to Gomenasai by TATU. I nearly cried while trying to write the part when Harry confronts his 'friends'. Thanks everyone!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Harry Potter's characters or the canon plot in here. The rest is mine. I do not make any money for this venture. It's purely for everyone's entertainment.**_

_Chapter 3_

_Harry woke up just after six in the morning. Surprisingly, he felt amazing compared to other days. Grabbing a quick shower and changing into a fresh set of clothes, he headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. He didn't know if it was a good thing or not but he met no one on his way down. Entering the hall and taking an available seat, he realized only too late that it was right near his supposed friends. They were all casting him glances but making no move to acknowledge him at all._

_Thankfully he was given a moment's respite when Professor Mcgonagall handed out their schedules for the upcoming year. Harry gave it a once-over but didn't pay all that much attention to his time-table at the moment._

"_Hey guys. How were your summers?" he attempted to create conversation. Of course he knew they were all back-stabbers but he had to attempt to not let it show that he knew._

_No one spoke for a long moment. Even Harry was becoming uncomfortable in the silence. Looking up at his housemates, he gave them a questioning look. "Guys?"_

_Ron and Hermione glanced at each other before turning to face him. "We don't want to be friends with you. You're too dangerous to be around," Hermione replied before looking away again._

"_That never bothered you before! Why now? It's because of Cedric isn't it? Look, I'm sorry he got messed in with all of this but it wasn't my fault! It just kind of happened," Harry tried to explain. Even though he was positive he wouldn't be their friends after this, he still wanted to get the point across that he never killed Cedric._

"_You could have prevented it! It doesn't matter now, we still refuse to be your friend," said Ron, turning away from his former best friend._

_Harry tried his hardest to hide the tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. "I kind of wished I had heard wrong on the train. At least now I know that you were just using me," he murmured before rushing from the Great Hall._

_Running back up to Gryffindor tower, he snatched up his bag and books before more clearly studying his schedule. Groaning, he realized that his first class was Potions and it was a double class. This meant he had the whole morning with Snape, the other Gryffindors and... wonderful, the Slytherins. Harry mentally asked himself why everything had to be so horrible but was not given a response._

_Before any of his housemates could come back to the dorms, the teen made his way down to the dungeons. As soon as he got to the Potion's classroom he sat down in one of the back corners, away from where everyone else would sit and the absolute furthest from Snape. He would try his hardest to stay away from the man and not fail horribly in the class this year._

_Soon enough the rest of the students entered and took their own seats. Just as he thought, most if not all of them picked desks away from him. Snape strode in not much later, starting the class by taking roll call. Harry was extremely surprised when Snape made no move to insult him like was usual. It was a nice reprieve for once. The black haired man gave them a potion to start the year out with. Lucky for Harry, it didn't require two people to do so._

_Harry went into the supply closet and gathered all of ingredients he would need for the assignment. On his way out, he was bumped into by Ron, sending everything in his arms crashing to the ground. Sighing, Harry bent down and began re-gathering the articles. A pale hand appeared in front of his face, holding the last item he needed. Taking it back, he looked up into the face of one Draco Malfoy._

"_Thanks Malfoy," he muttered to the other boy._

_Draco quirked an eyebrow at that. "It was only bullfrog tongues Potter," he answered._

"_About helping me out last night. Thanks," said Harry before he left the storage room and went back to his desk._

_The next couple of hours went by rather smoothly as he worked on his potion. For once, it was working out perfectly. His concentration was aimed wholeheartedly towards finishing the potion right. Just as he was finishing a loud bang echoed through the room. Neville had once again blown up his cauldron. Snape looked like he was ready to murder the bumbling, idiotic Gryffindor. Before the man could do so, a dark cloud of something smelling quite like rotten eggs and citrus escaped the totalled workstation._

_Harry finished up his potion quickly before cleaning his own cauldron and desk. The smell was making his head pound viciously. He set his complete potion on Snape's desk before following the rest of the students out of the classroom._

_Picking up his pack from under his desk, he walked unsteadily towards the exit. The fumes evidentially had caused more damage than he anticipated. Only a few feet down the hall, his legs suddenly gave out from under him. Collapsing to the ground, Harry closed his eyes while taking in deep breaths. It didn't seem to be helping at all. Remembering what Madame Pomphrey said, he pushed himself up off of the ground. Using the wall as support, the boy took several more steps before everything suddenly went black. He dropped to the ground, unaware anymore of his surroundings._

__________________________________________________________________________

_Draco gave a small wave to his professor/godfather on his way out of the Potions classroom. He, however, stopped almost immediately outside. Lying on the ground not five feet away was Potter. Rushing over, he immediately checked and noticed that the boy was still breathing and had a decent pulse. The only difference is that the boy was several shades paler than normal._

_Standing back up from where he had been kneeling next to the unconscious boy, Draco sprinted back into the classroom. "Sev! I need your help. Potter's lying out cold on the floor in the hallway," he cried to the man._

_The two quickly made their way to the fallen Harry. Snape also checked Potter's vitals while Draco stood by and waited. "Let's get him up to the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomphrey will be able to determine what is wrong with him," the teacher ordered._

_Draco watched as the older male picked up the small Gryffindor. He didn't want to give away that he knew Harry was incredibly sick right now, seeing as he shouldn't have known to begin with so he stayed silent. He noticed the look flash through Severus' dark eyes. It was concern. Whether it was from the unconscious boy or how light Harry seemed, he wasn't sure. He followed behind the two as they travelled further up into the heart of the castle._

_________________________________________________________________________

_A nearly silent groan escaped the sick boy as they neared the Hospital Wing. His eyelids fluttered before slowly opening to half-mast. "P-professor?" he murmured confused._

"_It's alright Potter. Rest now," Snape said softly, soothingly._

_Harry blinked slowly. "Okay Sir," he said before resting his head on the man's shoulder and instantly falling asleep._

_________________________________________________________________________

_Draco stared at Snape for a long moment. "Were you actually nice to Potter of all people?" he questioned incredulously._

_Severus rolled his eyes at his godson's dramatics. "I'll explain later," was the only given response._

_They entered the Hospital Wing a couple moments later and were immediately intercepted by Madame Pomphrey. Before she could open her mouth, Draco explained, "I found him outside of the Potion's classroom. He was just lying out cold on the ground. I ran to get help from Professor Snape. We brought him up here right away. A few minutes before, he awoke but slipped back out almost right after."_

_The elderly woman clucked her tongue for a second before ushering them inside. Both men glanced at each other as she started her mother hen routine. "Place him on a bed. The poor dear, I told him he should have stayed here. Was he doing anything specific before he passed out?" she inquired before rushing off to the other side of the room to gather several potions._

"_We had just left class. I don't understand what could have caused him to just collapse like that... Unless it was Longbottom's potion. The twit blew up his cauldron again, causing a very disgusting odour to go everywhere," Draco deduced._

_As the Matron got to work making sure Harry was fine, Draco faced Severus. "You said you would explain why you were being so kind to Potter," he reminded quietly so the woman couldn't hear them._

"_Yes I did, but not right now. Wait until we have some private time to discuss this. Now, I believe you have lunch to attend, as do I. Come back here once you have finished your afternoon classes," said Severus Snape. Without another word, the Potions Master strode out of the Infirmary, black robes billowing behind him._

_Giving a shake of his head, Draco spared Harry one last look before following the Professor's orders and heading down to the Great Hall for lunch._


	5. Chapter 4

**READ THIS: Okay so this is nearly three times the normal length of a chapter that I would usually write. I honestly expect a lot of reviews for this, I'm half asleep right now and put a hell of a lot of effort into it. I'll warn you all now, I didn't even bother reading it over so if there are mistakes, suck it up please. Enjoy :]**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Harry Potter's characters or the canon plot in here. The rest is mine. I do not make any money for this venture. It's purely for everyone's entertainment.**

Chapter Four

Groggily, Harry opened his eyes to slits. Thankfully, his head wasn't in nearly as much pain as it had been earlier. Voices brought his awareness into clarity. Peeking up through his eyelashes, he noticed two figures sitting next to his bed talking softly. Straining his hearing, he quickly picked up on their conversation.

"Okay Sev, you promised you'd tell me now," a voice demanded. It was easily distinguished as Draco Malfoy's.

"Settle down Draco. I'm not going to tell you anything if you keep up that attitude," Severus' voice responded dryly.

"Fine," Draco said, clearly pouting.

Harry had to clench his jaw in order to not smile or snicker at the two. Closing his eyes all of the way just in case either of them happened to look over, he listened into their conversation.

Severus sighed almost silently. "Alright. A long time ago, I was best friends with Lily

Evans..."

A small intake of air managed to get past Harry's lips. He sighed lightly, to make it look like he was sighing in his sleep in case the other two looked over and noticed he was awake. The news did surprise him though. It was completely unexpected. Snape had hated his father so then why would he hang around with Lily? Harry was confused but obviously didn't want to voice this out loud lest he be found out.

"...Who happened to be Potter's mother. I know what you're thinking so let me explain first. Potter, Black and I may have been enemies but Lily was different. She did not care about house rivalries or any such nonsense. She was in all senses, my best friend besides your own parents Draco. When she was pregnant with Harry, she had wanted to make me one of Harry's godfathers but James would have none of it. Instead, they made Sirius Black the godfather and Remus Lupin an honorary godfather.

"Before the Potters died, Lily made me promise to keep Harry safe. After they were murdered and Black was arrested, I tried to take in the boy but the Headmaster refused for not only was I not a godfather but I was forced into becoming a spy for the Light. It was too dangerous for me to spy, teach and raise a child. Is that enough of an explanation?" Severus finished.

"Yeah, that makes sense. But then if you were supposed to protect him and all that, why were…are you still mean to him in class?" questioned Draco.

"I have to keep up appearances don't I?" Snape said with a small smirk. "It wouldn't do to be over friendly with my most hated enemy's son from when I went to school, now would it?"

Harry lay still. He honestly didn't know what to make of all of this. It made sense that Snape had done certain things now like back in first year, he was trying to help him when his broom went awry while during a Quidditch match that nearly could have killed him. In third year, Snape jumped in front of Remus as a werewolf to protect him, Ron and Hermione. He had actually been willing to risk his life to protect Harry and his friends.

"Harry? You're awake finally," Draco said, staring at him.

Harry blushed when he realized at some point he had opened his eyes. Giving an embarrassed smile to the two Slytherins, he sat up and put on his glasses. "You're calling me Harry now? Change of heart _Draco_?" he asked, teasingly emphasizing Draco's name.

The blonde boy blushed faintly but didn't reply. Instead he asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Better. Were you the one that brought me here?" Harry responded. He sat up, rubbing the stiffness out of his neck and slipping on his glasses before glancing at the two men.

Draco nodded. "Yes, you were just lying on the floor of the hallway outside of Potions. I couldn't just let you lay there where anybody could get to you…"

The dark headed boy's eyes widened slightly when he heard that. What was wrong in the world lately? Everyone was acting completely different from how it should have been. He was so confused with it all.

"That's my job and no one else's," Draco finished. There was a small smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth as he surveyed the other boy.

Harry merely snorted and rolled his eyes at the Slytherin. Typical Malfoy. Before he could retort however, Madame Pomphrey came into view. Without a word, she ran some tests on him to make sure everything was stable. "Mr. Potter, I'm afraid I'm going to need your answer to what we talked about as soon as possible. These spells will just keep getting worse if it is not taken care of soon," the woman murmured to him so the others wouldn't hear.

He knew he would have to go in soon. The pain and overall headaches were getting worse. It didn't help that he was getting stressed out with being back at school. "I'll do it Madame Pomphrey," he answered her softly.

Evidentially he hadn't spoken quiet enough for Draco and Snape stared at him in curiosity. The former with what seemed to be a tinge of guilt. Harry was extremely confused by that. He saw Madame Pomphrey nod her head before walking towards her office. He assumed that she was going to go make plans for the surgery.

When he glanced back towards the two males, they were still staring at him. He knew they wanted to know what was going on. Harry figured he may as well tell them, the news would get out somehow. Sighing, he said, "I may as well tell you. I'd rather people get it from me than someone else like the bloody Prophet. I've been sick since the summer. My fainting before is one of the symptoms. Madame Pomphrey ran some tests before and she found that I have a brain tumor. I need to go in for surgery soon or I could die."

Snape carefully covered his face with an expressionless mask while Draco outright stared. It was the blonde boy that finally broke the awkward silence. "What did the Weasel and Mu-Granger say?" he asked, quickly stopping the 'M' word from escaping at the glare that Harry sent to him.

Harry looked away. "I didn't tell them. We aren't really friends anymore," he muttered. Even at the prompting look Draco gave him, he refused to explain why.

Before anymore could be said, Madame Pomphrey came bustling back. In her hands was a stack of papers. "Harry dear, I'm going to have to get your relatives to sign these papers before we can go on with the surgery. You're underage so you will not be able to sign for yourself. I already talked to the Headmaster and he says that you can quickly travel to your home and get this paperwork filled out. Also, he would like you, Severus, to accompany Harry," she explained the plan. "Harry are you feeling well enough to make the trip?"

Nodding, the Gryffindor crawled out of the bed and accepted the small stack of papers from the matron. Glancing back to the Potions Master, he waited for the man to follow him. Before they left, Harry gave a small wave to Draco who returned it with a slightly bemused expression.

As student and teacher made their way out of the school to the gates where they could apparate to their destination, Harry pondered over something he had noticed earlier. Snape had silently gone along with the plan to take him to see his aunt and uncle. Either he was up to something, he was shocked by the news earlier or he was pitying Harry. All three made him feel a bit uneasy.

"Potter? We're past the gates now. We'll need to be touching to be able to apparate out of here," the man informed him.

Harry gave a small nod before approaching the professor. He wrapped his arms around the dark man's waist tightly. Snape gaped at the young boy. "We only needed to touch hands Potter. Clinging to me is unnecessary," the man stated.

Blushing Harry let go of the taller male and clutched his hand instead, mumbling an apology. In a second there was a loud crack and the two disappeared from Hogwarts. A following crack echoed through an empty alleyway as they reappeared. Harry felt overcome with dizziness as they came to a standstill. Before he could collapse to the gravel below them, Snape grabbed a hold of him and held him still until the world stopped spinning for Harry.

"Thanks," said Harry before letting go.

Quickly the two walked out of the alleyway and over to 4 Privet Drive. Harry led the way up the small walkway to the front door. Knocking soundly on it several times he listened for someone, most likely his aunt for this time of day, to open the door. Dudley was probably at a friend's house and Uncle Vernon never answered the door unless he had to. It wasn't long before the horse-faced woman appeared.

"What do you want? Aren't you supposed to be at that freak school? Come inside before someone sees you," she hissed at the boy. Her eyes darted around to the neighborhood making sure none of the neighbors had seen the two people in black robes.

Harry and Snape entered into the small abode. They were ushered into the sitting room where Vernon was seated watching the evening news. Harry noticed immediately that the walrus sized man's face began to turn purple in rage as soon as he saw his nephew.

"What are you doing here freaks? Get kicked out of your freak school? That's it, isn't it! They couldn't handle your abnormalities either so they got rid of you. It's about time someone realized what you are," Vernon gloated.

Harry could see Snape completely tensed and glancing at him to see how he would react. Luckily Harry had dealt with this kind of behavior from his relatives before so he was used to it. "Actually I need you to sign these for me," he replied nonchalantly. Hopefully they would just sign them without reading and asking any questions or making anymore comments.

Petunia grabbed them and brought them over to her husband. Unfortunately they both skimmed over them; a smirk crawling onto Vernon's face. The man looked up at his nephew and simply said, "No."

Startled, Harry stared at his relatives. "What? Why not?" he cried.

Vernon stood, sending rumbles through the house as he maneuvered his into a standing position. "Why not? Because then we won't have to take care of you again if you just happen to die off. Do you really think we would pass up this opportunity?" he sneered.

Keeping his head in check, Harry walked up to the man, grabbed the papers from the beefy hands and walked out of the house. All the while, he kept his face devoid of emotion. Distantly he could hear Snape storming from the house. Harry made it to the alleyway where they had arrived in and waited for his teacher to appear. The man strode up mere seconds later. Vaguely Harry noted the man was muttering something under his breath, but it was too low for him to catch.

"I'm taking you to the Ministry," Snape said before pulling the boy to his chest and apparating away.

Harry clutched onto the professor's robes as he quickly grew dizzy again. When he was finally able to regain his awareness, he turned to look at the man that was dragging him deeper into the Ministry of Magic. "Why are we here?" he questioned.

"I'm doing something I should have done a long time ago," Snape curtly answered.

Confused, the teen nearly had to sprint to keep up with the man's long strides. Finally when they stopped, they were standing in front of an office. The nameplate on the wall beside the door read 'Department of Familial Affairs'. That didn't help Harry to sort out what they were doing there.

Snape led them inside where the man immediately went up to the desk on the far side of the room. Harry looked around the room only to notice there wasn't really much in there. There were a couple of closed doors that he assumed led off to offices of some sort. Turning back to his teacher and the woman behind the desk who was currently facing a filing cabinet and digging through for some papers of some sort.

The woman pulled out a file and handed them to Severus who in turn turned to the boy. "I need to have a talk with you. Let's find somewhere a little more private, shall we?" the man said leading them once again out of the room and down the hallway to an empty sitting room.

Harry stared at his professor, waiting for an explanation. After a moment of complete silence, the man sighed rather heavily. "I have a proposition for you. If you allow me to adopt you, I will sign the papers for your operation. You can keep your name if you choose so, which I'm assuming you would. That and you will never have to go live with those so-called relatives of yours again," he offered.

Completely and utterly surprised, Harry could only stare at the man. He didn't even know what to think. The only thing that stopped him from saying no was the fact that he had heard Snape say he promised Lily to take care of her son. That meant he would purposely hurt him, at least not the way the Dursley's had. Slowly he nodded. "Don't you need to get my aunt and uncle's signature? Actually I'm pretty sure they'd give it to you if you told them I would never be going back there," he muttered.

A natural-born smirk spread it's way across Snape's face. "Leave that to me. I need to know that you are in this 100%. After it's done, you won't be able to back out," he warned. At Harry's sure nod, he stood up telling the boy to wait there and that he would be back in a few minutes.

True to his word, Snape was back in the sitting room mere minutes later with fully signed papers. He directed Harry back to the office they had got the forms from earlier. Snape placed them on the woman's desk where she briefly checked them over before giving a nod and leaving into one of the rooms. A moment later, she came back out with several new sheaves of parchment. Quickly she explained that these were the official proof that Severus Snape was now the legal guardian of Harry Potter.

The men thanked her before leaving the office. They apparated out of the Ministry back to Hogwarts. By the time they made it back to the Hospital Wing, Harry was completely exhausted. He collapsed on the bed when he was in range, falling asleep within seconds.

________________________________________________________________________

Severus watched amused as the dark-haired boy dropped on the bed and drifted off. Without waking the boy he pulled off his charge's shoes and glasses and wrapped a blanket over the small form. If he hadn't cared about the boy this whole time, he would have thought he had been going mental from acting so friendly to Potter of all people.

Shaking his head, he marched over to Pomphrey's office. Seeing the door open, he placed the forms for surgery on her desk. At the woman's gasp in surprise he muttered, "Don't ask."

"I always knew you would take him under your wing. It just took a little while longer than I expected," she revealed, a sly look overcoming her. This only received a roll of the eyes from the dark man.

"Let Albus know of this change, won't you? Harry is asleep on his bed. I am going to follow suit and retire to my quarters," said Severus as he left the office.

"Good night Severus. I'll have the papers sent to St. Mungo's first thing in the morning," Pomphrey said to the retreating man's back.

Snape made a quick stop by Harry's bed, only to see the boy hadn't moved an inch and was quietly sleeping away. Giving a very minute smile, the Potions Master left the Hospital Wing and made his way down to the dungeons.


	6. Chapter 5

**READ: Okay, so I rushed through this pretty fast. I don't know diddly-squat about operations or what happens before them so I guessed. If I messed up on anything, humor me and go with it. Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! It definitely made me happy. :]**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Harry Potter's characters or the canon plot in here. The rest is mine. I do not make any money for this venture. It's purely for everyone's entertainment.**

Chapter 5

A strip of bright, warm sunlight landed across Harry's closed eyes. Cracking them open, he moaned at the temporary blinding affect. Pulling the blanket up over his eyes seemed to be the best course of action. A quiet snort filled the silence. Moving the blanket a bit so he could peak out, the boy noticed that Draco was sitting next to the bed.

"What are you doing here?" he croaked. Thankfully someone, most likely Madame Pomphrey, had placed a glass of water on his bedside. After several large gulps he was able to talk clearly.

"Sev sent me to bring you to him when you finally woke up. It's about time too, it's nearly noon already," the blonde quipped.

As Harry dragged himself from the depths of the warm blankets, he asked, "Do you know what he wants?" He sighed at the negative response from Draco. Snatching up his glasses, he left the Hospital Wing after letting the nurse know he was leaving, of course.

The boys made into the dungeons and Severus' quarters within minutes. The Potions Master himself was pacing in the sitting room in front of the fireplace. There was a small glass of brandy in his hand that was occasionally being sipped from. As soon as he heard the boys enter, he set the glass down on a nearby end table. He gestured for the both of them to sit.

Harry dropped onto a loveseat next to Draco, leaving Snape to sit across from them in a well-worn armchair. For a long moment, he merely stared at the two teens. The silence began to unnerve Harry a bit, making him fidget.

Snape gave a small sigh. "I have some…bad news. Someone let loose the fact that I have adopted Harry. I do not know for sure what will happen but I can guarantee that there will be an uproar about it. I'm warning you both now, seeing as you two know the truth behind the rumor. Unfortunately now the Headmaster has requested our presence in his office," he said before standing up and heading towards the portrait hole.

The boys followed behind, mulling over what they had just found out. Harry was frustrated that every little thing about his personal life was ousted to the public. They always threw a fit when he did something random or unusual. It wasn't any of their business what he did or did not do! They had no say in his life so why do they bother throwing their opinions out there. He didn't care at all what they thought. If he wanted the cranky, snarky Potions Master as his surrogate father then so be it. It wasn't up to the public who was his guardian.

After a mumbled 'sugarplum' from Snape to the gargoyle statue in the hall, the group was heading up the staircase towards the office at the top. Snape entered first after a quick knock. Harry immediately noticed the non-twinkling eyes of the old man. Dumbledore was definitely angry or upset. Quickly he took a seat between Draco and Severus.

"Getting right to the point boys, what is this I hear about an adoption?" the aged wizard inquired.

"Mr. Potter needed a signature for an operation, which you know about from Poppy. The boy's relatives refused to give theirs; their reason being they wouldn't have to take care of him anymore. Therefore I adopted him and am now his guardian and have already signed and filled out the paperwork for the operation," Snape explained briefly.

Harry nodded slightly. He had a feeling the headmaster would make a great rebuttal against this explanation. Sighing he saw Dumbledore open his mouth to do just what he had thought he would.

"Now Severus, you should have contacted me before all this. I would have been able to get the Dursley's to sign the papers right away and he would still be welcome back in their home. I am very disappointed in you. You know how dangerous this will be for you now. You're spying days are over, which is a great loss for the Order. Harry won't have the wards from his relatives either," Dumbledore scolded.

The Gryffindor student watched the match between the two adults. He had to admit he wasn't really surprised that Severus had been a spy for the Light side. Though he did have to wonder what the Order was. He had never heard of it before so he guess that it was some secret group for the Light that fought against Voldemort and the Death Eaters. When he heard about the wards though, he had to snort, earning a glance from everyone else. Blushing slightly, he said, "What good are wards when my family would have just sold me out anyways. They didn't even want to sign the papers for the surgery, they wanted me to die. They don't care about me. I'm a freak to them and they would be only too glad to be rid of me. I don't see why it matters that Sev adopted me or not." He noticed a faint smile twitch at the corners of Snape's lips at the nickname used casually.

Suddenly Snape stood up. "Harry, I do believe we are supposed to be at St. Mungo's in ten minutes. Headmaster, good day," he said before leaving the office with his students trailing behind.

"We will continue this chat another time then Severus," Dumbledore said before they could fully leave the room.

As they were walking through the halls of the school, a thought occurred to Harry. It was more of a reminder of something he had been meaning to ask Severus. "Hey, umm, Professor? I was wondering. I overheard something on the train to school. Is there a way for someone who is not a guardian to go into someone's Gringotts account and take out money without permission from the owner of the vault?" he inquired.

"Not that I am aware of. Unless that person has special permission to go into the vault for some reason or another, they should not be able to go inside let alone retrieve anything," answered Severus. "Why do you ask?"

"Well it's just that, I kind of heard that Dumbledore was paying the Gryffindor's to be my friends, but I don't know for sure if it's true. If it is, then I was just wondering if he would be able to go into my account and do that. I don't really care about the money or anything, but I thought that it might be kind of illegal to do something like that," said Harry. Suddenly he stumbled on an uneven flagstone. Before he could crash down to the cold, stone ground, an arm shot out and pulled him back up onto his feet. Blushing slightly, he gave Draco a small smile before continuing on down the hall.

Severus hummed in thought. "Well, while you are in the hospital, I will go check on your vaults. For now though, we must hurry or we will end up late," he replied.

All three picked up their pace until they were past the wards around the school. Severus placed a hand on each of the boy's shoulders before apparating away from the grounds. Once again as soon as Harry's feet hit ground, he became extremely lightheaded. Before he could stop it, he was vomiting all over the ground at his feet. A hand started rubbing his back, trying to quell his heaving. Breathing deeply, he spit one last time on the ground before standing up. "Next time, I am not apparating anywhere," he grumbled.

A smirk from Severus and a raised eyebrow from Draco were his only response. All three entered St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. They headed over to the front desk where Severus had a quick conversation with the secretary before being directed down a hallway to a private room.

As soon as the door was closed, Harry noticed that they were standing in a patient room. "You will be given a scan that is similar to the muggle CAT scan. In a few hours, you will be prepped for surgery. I do believe you are supposed to wear these," Severus said, tossing a pair of light blue hospital pajamas at him. "Oh and you have to take out all jewelry for the scan."

Grumbling, Harry locked himself in the bathroom to change. When he exited, he was carrying his clothes which he promptly dumped on the end of the bed along with his lip ring. Draco and Severus had taken up the two empty chairs in the room, letting Harry sit on the bed. It wasn't long before a doctor entered. He introduced himself as Medi-wizard Rosser and that he would be Harry's personal doctor during the procedure. He directed Harry from the room to another one at the end of the hall.

After lying down on the plastic-type bed, Harry watched Rosser stride around the room, setting different things up, explaining that the scan would help them to see where exactly the problem in his brain lay. He remained silent, trying not to let on how nervous and terrified he really was. During the actual scan, he could feel all the magic permeating through the air and brushing at his mind. It was such a weird sensation that Harry nearly began laughing.

Once the scan was finished, he was led back to the room where Sev and Draco were waiting. He noticed that the blonde was gone once he got back. Severus explained that Draco had gone to get a drink and would be back in a few minutes. The man also said that the nurse had told him that Harry could change back into his clothes for the time being until he was to be prepped for surgery.

Harry stood in front of a small mirror hanging in the bathroom after switching from the pajamas to his normal clothes. Picking up the small ring for his lip, he pushed it into the hole only to notice that it wouldn't go all the way through. Growling slightly he pushed it in, again only to have it get stuck. Finally after four more tries he gave up. "Awe, my lip ring grew shut! Well after all this, I'm going to get my nose done or my belly button!" he said, pouting at his loss while leaving the bathroom.

"Why, pray tell would you want either of those?" drawled Severus.

"Because I can," Harry replied simply, a cheeky, little grin on his face.

The dark-haired man rolled his eyes, a small smirk uplifting the corners of this pursed lips. "At least get the navel piercing then, you can hide it under clothing," he supplied.

Harry pocketed the useless ring. "You know I'm a boy, I can walk around with my shirt off," he pointed out.

"Not under my roof you won't!"

Grinning, Harry hugged Severus tightly, burying his face in the man's robes. A sense of contentment washed over him at the scent of sandalwood and vanilla. "Thanks Sev," he murmured.

The man tightened his hold on the small boy. "What are you thanking me for?"

"For caring about me," answered Harry. After a long moment he pulled back. "Draco will be back soon, I guess I should get comfy. We'll be here for a while."

Severus didn't sit down. Instead he said, "While we are waiting, I will go to Gringotts and see what I can figure out about your vaults. I will be back as soon as I can."

"Kay," Harry said before sitting cross legged on the bed. There was nothing in the room to amuse himself with so he waited idly for Draco to come back. Finally the blonde boy returned to the room. With a devious smirk, he pulled out a package of sweets.

Laughing Harry grabbed one, popping it into his mouth. "Where did you find those?" he asked, as they continued to snack on the candies.

"Snuck into the nurses' lounge and grabbed them," Draco said shrugging. His smirk intensified as he saw the surprise etched clearly on the other boy's face.

"Draco! You can't just go stealing things from people. It's against the law for one thing," Harry scolded. He crossed his arms across his chest and attempted to look menacing.

The blonde merely rolled his eyes. "I was handing them out to random people if that makes you feel better," he said, munching on another candy.

"Surprisingly no it doesn't," quipped Harry. Intending to get up to go for a short walk and wear off some of his nerves, he stood up only to get tangled in the blanket beneath him. Giving a small yelp, he crashed to the tiled floor below.

A strong pair of arms caught him at the last possible second. Draco yanked him back up onto his feet. "You are such a klutz, you know that right?" pointed out Draco.

"I noticed," said Harry, blushing crimson. Faintly he realized that Draco's hands were still gripping his arms. Glancing up, he finally noticed how close the two of them were. Not a second later, a warm pair of lips were on his. Harry practically melted into the kiss, letting Draco pull him flush against the taller male while placing his hands against the broad chest and closing his eyes.

He knew they probably shouldn't be doing this, especially at a time like this but he just couldn't muster up the energy to care. For once in his life, he felt like someone wanted him for him, not for the famous Harry Potter. He had to admit, it was a bit strange that it was Draco Malfoy of all people to make him feel this way.

A strangled cough echoed through the silent room. Harry started, jumping away from Draco's embrace. Severus was standing in the doorway of the room. His face was impassive for the most part. "I leave you two alone for less than half an hour and you end up making out? Hormonal teenagers," he muttered with a roll of the eyes.

The man ushered the blushing boys to take a seat, while he did the same. "I talked to the goblins at Gringotts and they have checked into the dealings of your account for the past five years. Five different withdrawals have occurred, each during the summer before a new school year. The amounts though were a lot more than just buying school supplies. Each withdrawal approximated to about 10, 000 galleons each. The total was just over 52, 000 galleons since you started school. The name for each withdrawal was not enclosed but with prompting I was able to figure out that it was the executor of your parents' estates, which happens to me Dumbledore. I took the liberty of taking his name off of any documents and changing it to mine so no one will be able to do anything with your money or estates without mine or your specific permission," relayed Severus.

"Thanks Professor," Harry said gratefully.

"Harry, do you know what the money was going to?" inquired Severus.

The small boy nodded sadly. "Dumbledore was paying the Weasley's and Hermione to be my friends," he answered quietly.

The door opening interrupted any responses from the Slytherins. Medi-wizard Rosser appeared, stopping abruptly at the entrance. "Am I interrupting anything? I can come back in a few minutes," he said, taking a step back.

"No, it's okay," replied Harry so he wouldn't have to talk about what he had just revealed.

"Alright, I just came to inform you that we have moved your surgery up a few hours. So, I'll need you to put on and I.V. gown for me and I'll take you over to the O.R.," said Rosser, handing his patient a thin, sea foam gown.

Taking the gown, Harry once again went into the bathroom and switched outfits. After struggling to tie the gown he succeeded and went back into the main room with his clothes in hand. Unsure of where to put them, he dumped them in Severus' lap. This earned a chuckle from the doctor and a snort from Draco. Severus on the other hand, scowled before folding all of the clothes and banishing them back to Hogwarts. He was rewarded with a brilliant smile from his charge.

"Mr. Potter, if you will follow me, I'll take you to Operating Room 3 now," said Medi-wizard Rosser.

"Umm, I'll be there in a second," said Harry, fiddling with his gown nervously. With a nod, the doctor left the room to the hallway, closing the door behind himself.

Harry turned to face Severus and Draco who stood up when he was changing. The first thing he did was envelop Severus in a hug. "Thank you so much Sev for doing all this for me. It means a lot," he murmured. The last thing he did was place a quick kiss on the man's cheek before letting go of him.

Turning to face the blonde boy beside him, Harry paused. He wasn't sure how to do this. Draco's silver eyes were shimmering in amusement. Suddenly he engulfed Harry's small body with his in a tight hug. Harry snuggled into his chest for a moment before slowly looking up into the mercury pools above him. For a second time that day, their lips collided gently. The kiss remained short as Harry removed himself from Draco and exited the room before his emotions could get the best of him.

The medi-wizard led Harry down the hall and onto an elevator up to the next floor where the operating rooms were located. They made it to a room with OR 3 on the swinging doors. Shaking in fright, Harry followed the doctor inside and lay down on the gurney like ordered. Eventually, the doctor and several medi-witches had prepared everything that they would need. By this time, Harry was nearly convulsing in terror and cold. At last, Rosser approached him with a potion.

"This will put you under for the surgery. You won't have to worry about waking up or feeling any pain. An antidote will be the only thing to wake you up which we will administer after the surgery. There is also a pain reliever in it that will help you. Alright, are you ready Mr. Potter?" Rosser asked giving the potion bottle to the boy.

Harry nodded. With wide eyes, he downed the bottle's contents before he could think about what was about to happen. Almost immediately he could feel the potion beginning to work on him. It was like feeling extremely tired after not sleeping for a week. It also made his body tingle slightly. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes completely and succumbed to the potion's effects.

________________________________________________________________________

Severus and Draco paced the halls of the hospital before finding an empty sitting room with magazines and snack and drink machines. Draco went and got himself a canned pumpkin juice while Severus opted for a cup of strong, black coffee. Both sat down in silence, staring at the magical clock on the wall above the doorway. No matter how much they stared at the clock, time didn't speed up.

Three hours passed with not a word from anyone. Draco was pacing back and forth in the waiting room, while Severus idly flipped through a potions magazine even if he wasn't really reading it.

Unexpectedly, a beeping echoed through the halls. A voice said as calmly as possible, "Medi-wizard Proctor and Medi-witch Asher please report to OR 3, code 2. I repeat Medi-wizard Proctor and Medi-witch Asher please report to OR 3, code 2."

Draco swung around to Snape. "Isn't that Harry's room?" he asked nervously. A small nod was his answer as both men quickly made their way to said room.

Two doctors had just run into the operating room. Draco attempted to get in but wards covering the door stopped anyone who wasn't a doctor or assistant from entering. All he could do was stare through the small window in the door. What he saw scared him more than anything. On the operating table was Harry's unconscious form, but it was convulsing horribly. Severus' hand landed on his shoulder, trying to pull him away from the door and the sight of his new friend. He refused to leave though, waiting and making sure Harry pulled through. All he could do was hope to Merlin Harry would be okay.


	7. Chapter 6

**READ: Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed and put my story on their alerts, it makes me all happy inside. Though alerts are good, reviews are great (hint hint). Thanks to those who sent in reviews on how surgery actually works, it was very informative. Seeing as I didn't know what I was doing, nor do I still know, you'll just have to go with it, thanks ^_^. Sorry about the seriously late update, I just didn't know how to write some of this and was dealing with a lot of crap. Anywho for now, enjoy! :]**

**P.S.: Snape is pretty OOC when it comes to being around Harry in this chappie so don't say anything about that. It's the way the story is going.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Harry Potter's characters or the canon plot in here. The rest is mine. I do not make any money for this venture. It's purely for everyone's entertainment.**

Chapter Six

Something was wrong. He could feel it, even through the potion induced haze wrapped around his mind. Pain was slipping past the potion's control. It hurt more than anything he had ever felt before. Before he could work out what was happening, it disappeared; his mind becoming still once more.

________________________________________________________________________

Draco couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when Harry's body stopped seizing and the doctor's resumed their work. Severus had conjured a chair a while ago and was now sitting against the opposite wall of the doors, waiting. Draco's resolve was strong for the next couple of hours but eventually he couldn't deny that he was getting tired and needed to sit down too.

While they waited, the blonde contemplated his situation. Here he was, waiting at St. Mungo's for his supposed school enemy to get out a life-threatening surgery and actually hoping that he would make it out okay. He should have been back at school, going through classes, working on homework, and pestering the other students. That's the way it should have been. It definitely wasn't. Now it was all just a jumble of confusing emotions dealing with a certain dark-haired Gryffindor.

Sighing, he rubbed at his neck. All the stress from the last few days was taking it's toll. A headache was throbbing at his temples and his eyes burned with fatigue. Shutting his eyes for a moment so the burning would stop, he almost immediately slipped off into sleep.

________________________________________________________________________

Severus smirked at his godson when the boy slipped sideways in his seat, resting against the man's shoulder. Quietly, he conjured a pillow to place under Draco's neck so he wouldn't feel too stiff when he awoke. It would still be quiet a while until Harry was released from surgery so for now, he would let Draco sleep.

The boy had been growing quickly accustomed to Harry and from what he had seen earlier, their relationship was advancing to something beyond friendship. He just hoped that Harry would be able to get Draco to settle down a bit from his slightly promiscuous lifestyle at school. Although, if the Slytherin student harmed one hair on Harry's head, he would kill the blonde boy himself. He had to admit, something about the small, Potter boy brought out the protective side in him and it had nothing to do with the promise he had made all those years ago to his student's mother.

Not wanting to delve into what could be causing such changes in the cold-hearted Slytherins, Snape pulled out a book he had stored in his robes. One was always stored there for situations just like this, where he had nothing to do. Boredom was not one of his favorite pastimes, not when he could be doing something else. Of course he would prefer hiding in his dungeons and creating potions but this would have to do for the time being. Diving into the book, it easily captured his attention for the most part.

The creak of a door opening, brought Severus out of his book while also waking Draco. The two men looked up to find Medi-wizard Rosser, Proctor and Medi-witch Asher all leaving the operating room. Snape and Malfoy stood up expectantly, awaiting the news of their new friend.

Rosser stepped forward, nodding to the other doctors. The two walked away down the hall to some unknown room. Harry's doctor glanced back towards the two men in front of him.

Severus was ready to snap on the man for not telling them what was going on. Before he could do so however, the doctor spoke, "Harry is going to be fine. We nearly lost him when his body began seizing. He pulled through though. He is completely healed and thankfully, he will not have to endure chemotherapy like we had originally thought. That is unless the cancer cells reappear. All of our tests have pointed out that the tumor was fully removed with no damage to Harry's brain. For the next couple of days he will have to remain here so we can keep him under observation just in case. After that, he can be taken back but should get another day or two of bed rest. Is there anything else you need to know?"

The Slytherin shook their heads. "Alright, well Harry will be transported to his room right away. I will administer the antidote to the potion we had to dispense to him before the surgery." At the look on their faces he cracked a smile. "Don't worry, it was just a pain relieving potion and a type of sleeping potion that ensures that the patient will remain unconscious during the operation. It helps to calm the body's organs enough to not cause any upset such as vomiting, stress or anything that could cause potential harm to them," he explained.

Without anymore talk, the doctor directed them back to Harry's room. Within moments the boy's sleeping body was wheeled in on a gurney. Rosser and two nurses transferred Harry onto the room's hospital bed. The dark-haired boy laid limply against the pillows, his face completely pale. After the nurses left, Rosser pulled a small vial out of his pocket. Uncorking it, the man placed it against Harry's lips and pored the contents in. Rubbing the boy's throat, they waited for the potion to kick in.

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Harry's eyelids fluttered for a moment before the green gems appeared. Groggily he glanced around the room. His head ached dully, making him feel slightly nauseous. The room was blurry, making it too hard to figure out where he was. Someone hearing his silent thoughts, slid his glasses on his nose.

The room came into focus, letting him know that he had been brought back into the hospital room they had all been in before the surgery. Weakly he noticed that Sev, Draco and his doctor were all standing around his bed. Blinking, he waited for someone to talk.

Medi-wizard Rosser broke the silence, "How are you feeling Harry?"

"My head hurts and I'm tired but I'm okay," he answered quietly. There was something else he wanted to talk to them about but he didn't know how to approach the subject. It was something he had experienced while unconscious. He didn't know how to explain what had happened. It was like something dark was coming after him. It had nearly gotten a hold of him too! Whatever it was had scared the daylights out of him.

"You'll feel a bit exhausted for the next few days but after getting some rest, you should be as good as new. I'll bring you a mild pain reliever in a little bit for your head. For now though, I want to you relax and try and get some sleep," ordered the doctor. The man left the others in the room as he wandered off to get the potion he mentioned.

Harry stared at the empty doorway where Rosser had previously stood, before turning to look at the other two figures. Severus must have sensed something was wrong for he said, "Harry? What's wrong? You are going to be okay now. The cancer is completely gone so there is nothing to worry about."

Shaking slightly, Harry shook his head and looked down. "It's not that. When I was unconscious, something happened. I…I don't know what it was but it was like something was after me. It was so dark and there was no one there. It was…I don't know. It was scary," he murmured, discreetly wiping a tear away before it could fall from his lowered eyes.

Severus and Draco shared a quick look. "Do not worry Harry. Everything's fine now. You have nothing to be frightened of. Draco and I will be here to protect you. If you ever feel like this again, don't hesitate to tell us. We will do everything we can to protect you and help you. Do you understand?" Severus said, gathering his surrogate son into his arms.

Harry snuggled into the man's body heat but gave a quick nod. The man told him to close his eyes and rest. With a sigh of contentment, he slipped into a dreamless sleep, thankful of the Potion Master's comforting touch. He was only woken once to swallow a bitter potion from Rosser that made the pounding in his head decrease to only a mild itchy feeling. It also made his mind feel fuzzy as he slipped back off into sleep for the rest of the night.

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Two days later, Harry was standing next to his now vacated hospital bed as he finished pulling on his shoes. Severus was waiting for him outside the room for him to emerge so they could finally go back to Hogwarts. Draco wasn't able to come, he had classes that he couldn't miss anymore of.

Leaving the room, he nearly walked right into Snape's chest. The man managed to place his hands on the boy's shoulders to prevent that from happening. The man managed to place his hands on the boy's shoulders to prevent that from happening. "Ready to go?"

Harry nodded before being led out of the hospital. He had to admit, he was a bit nervous to be going back to school. He wasn't sure what to expect. There was a niggling feeling that told him there might be some problems, especially with the Headmaster. He didn't know whether the old man had heard about his being adopted by Snape or not. Eventually he would hear about it and Harry could only imagine the altercation that will come from it. At least Severus would defend him through out it, at least he hoped so…

The two made their way through the building to the front entrance so they could floo back to Hogwarts. Unfortunately the only way to floo into the school is through the Headmaster's office with explicit permission by the man himself. This meant they would have to go past the man to get into the building and Harry had a feeling that a confrontation was about to happen.

He wasn't disappointed when Severus and the boy flooed into the office. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, writing on several parchments for some unknown reason. He looked up as the two males entered his office. "Ah Severus, Mr. Potter. Good to see you. Have a seat," he said, ushering the two of them into seats in front of the man's large desk.

Harry tentatively sat in one of the over-stuffed chairs, next to his new guardian. He knew the Headmaster was displeased as he did not offer them lemon drops or tea. Severus was attempting to hide his scowl from the old man. He wasn't very successful in doing so. Dumbledore's eyes dimmed slightly, their manic twinkling ebbing away. This made Harry even more wary of what the Headmaster might end up doing.

"What did you need Headmaster? I need to get Mr. Potter here to the Hospital Wing before Poppy gets worked up," Severus said, glaring at his boss.

"I would like to talk to you about the abrupt guardianship change do with Mr. Potter. Severus you know how important it was for the blood wards to stay intact. Now the Dursley's have no protection from Voldemort and his Death Eaters. And neither does Mr. Potter. You will have to transfer the guardianship back over to Mr. and Mrs. Dursley as soon as possible," the Headmaster said, giving his employee a stern look over his half moon spectacles.

"I will do no such thing Albus. Those people refused to sign the papers for Harry to be able to get his operation. They willingly signed him over to me and I will not be giving him back. You've seen how they have treated Harry in the past. It will only get worse if they are forced to take him back into their household. As for Voldemort finding out about this, I will merely tell him I am trying to persuade Harry to the dark side while I try to come up with a better plan. He is staying as my ward Headmaster and nothing will change that," Severus ground out before standing and leaving the office, black robes snapping angrily behind him. Harry quickly followed after, not sparing Dumbledore another look.

Once they were far away enough and heading to the Hospital Wing, Harry enveloped Snape around the waist in a tight hug. "Thank you, for not making me go back to them," he murmured into the man's chest.

"You're welcome Harry. Now lets get you to the Hospital Wing before Madame Pomphrey comes to find you," Severus said, briefly returning the hug.

The two quickly made their way to said wing only to be met with an aggravated woman. Without saying a word, Harry skirted around her and ran over to his usual bed and climbed in. Severus had to smirk at the boy's antics but it quickly disappeared at the look the matron was giving him. A little unnerved he too, went over to the bed, taking a seat next to the boy.

"I must check on another patient, by the time I get back I expect you fast asleep Mr. Potter," Pomphrey ordered before striding off to the other side of the room.

Harry giggled at the woman's antics. Severus merely snorted and shook his head. "Go to sleep Harry, unless you want to deal with her wrath…"

"I'm going right now," Harry said, while snuggling into the thick comforter that had been permanently placed on the bed just for him. Within moments he was dozing off.

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Severus watched the dark-haired boy for several minutes as he fell asleep, nestled in the bed. A small smile flitted across his face at the thought of having someone to take care of. He would never, ever admit it out loud but he had always wanted to have kids of his own. Seeing as that wasn't a likely option, adoption was the next best thing. It definitely helped that he had promised Harry's mother years ago to protect the boy as best he could.

A sudden crash pulled him from his thoughts. Jumping to his feet, Severus pulled his wand from his sleeve and aimed it at the cause of the disruption. He nearly dropped his wand when he saw a big, shaggy, black dog come running towards them. This had really caught the man off guard and he wasn't quite sure how to respond.

When the creature was right beside the bed, it morphed into that of Sirius Black. "Harry? Is he okay?!" he questioned quickly.

"He's perfectly fine Black. Just resting now. How much do you know of what his condition was?" Severus questioned the other man.

"Not much. Just that Harry was really sick. I know you had something to do with this. The Prophet said something about you adopting him. No one would tell me anything else," answered Sirius, who was still gazing at his godson.

Severus was quite surprised that Black hadn't attacked him once he knew about the adoption. The man must really care about Harry if he was willing, or maybe too absorbed with his godson, to not try and murder the man who was practically his enemy and now godson's new father. "Harry had a dormant tumor that was…activated when he was forced to endure Voldemort's Cruciatus curse last year in the graveyard. It was to the point where it was making him gravely ill and he would pass out at any given point from a migraine. In order for him to undergo the operation his present guardians had to sign the forms but the Dursley's refused to do so. I took it upon myself to take over his guardianship. Immediately after he was sent in for his surgery. The operation was a success and now he needs rest for a day or two before he can be reintroduced into his classes," he explained quickly.

There was a moment of silence as Severus watched Black who watched the sleeping Harry. Suddenly he was grabbed in a strong hug. "Thanks Snape. If it weren't for you, who knows what could have happened to him," Sirius murmured.

Hesitantly, Severus wrapped his arms around the animagus. Stifled giggling brought them both to their senses as they shoved each other away, dusting pretend germs from their person. Snape glanced at the quietly laughing Harry, who was peeking out from under the covers. "Harry, Poppy's coming," he lied.

He couldn't help the amused quirk of his lips when the boy's eyes widened and he squeaked before hiding completely under the blanket. Black gave a bark of laughter at the scene and took a seat. Severus followed suit, discreetly watching both Black and the now covered Harry.


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I keep forgetting about this. Anywho, I don't own anything except for the plot changes that aren't in the canon version. I don't make any money from this either.**

**READ PLEASE! Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. Quite a few questions and other comments have been aimed my way over the last couple of chapters so I'd like to take a moment to clear that up.**

**1. Several people have told me so far to write for myself and not others to get reviews. I do write for myself or you guys wouldn't be reading this story right now. I love writing and no matter how bad or good my stories are, I'm going to keep with it. I just love getting feedback, especially compliments. I like the attention I guess you could say.**

**2. Again several people have mentioned how the story is moving 'too fast'. I'm sorry but that's just the way I write. I need something that's going to keep my attention or I'll get bored and stop writing.**

**3. In contingency with number 3, the characters did not just up and switch. I've clearly expressed it in several of the chapters so far. The main one being that Severus has always been looking out for Harry as he promised Lily he would if the Potters happened to pass on (that was a main conversation between him and Draco in the beginning of Ch. 4). Draco changed his attitude halfway when he heard about Harry being sick (as in Ch. 1 when he was eavesdropping. Seriously even if he's mostly portrayed as a jerk, I don't think he would pick a fight with someone that's seriously ill). As the chapters progressed, his attitude changed more and more until he made an unannounced truce with the boy (he thinks this through a bit in Ch. 6). As to their relationship so far, they're obviously attracted to each other and they're teenagers… What did you expect honestly? Draco also practically follows whatever Severus does and if the man is kind to Harry, so will he, in due time anyways. And finally, Sirius hugged Severus spontaneously. It's just the kind of thing Sirius does, especially seeing as he just found out his godson survived a potentially fatal surgery.**

**4. Okay, let's get this one straight. When did I ever say that Harry couldn't get sick again? Hmm? I'll let you guys in on something. People who get diseases and such, have a chance of getting the disease again or even getting another illness. That very thing happened to my Nana when she got cancer and ended up passing away from the second bout.**

**Okay I think that clears up the major concerns. Thanks for taking the time to read through this. Don't be afraid to ask questions or give comments/concerns, I'll do my best to clear up whatever the problem happens to be. I'll give you all a warning now seeing as you didn't get it before: characters in this fic will and/or can be OOC so just go with it. I'll let you all get to the chapter now. :]**

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Chapter 7

Severus felt an intense burning in his left arm. Immediately he knew the Dark Lord was calling him. He could only hope that this wouldn't be the meeting where he was found out to be the long-time spy for Dumbledore. He assumed Voldemort finally found out about the adoption. At least he hoped that was it and not something else…

Standing up slowly, he attempted to quietly move from the bedside to leave the Hospital Wing. His plan would have worked if he wouldn't have tripped over one of Harry's shoes. Landing with a muffled groan, he pulled himself up, brushing off whatever dirt and dust he thought collected on his robe from the fall. He was about to continue on when he saw movement. Glancing in the direction, he froze when he saw Black curled up in a chair snickering at his unfortunate tumble.

Arching an eyebrow, Severus murmured, "See something amusing Black?"

Immediately the other man froze. The icy tone was enough to make Sirius slightly frightened. Severus stared down into the swirling grey eyes, unfaltering. "Well?" he said just as quietly as before, if not a bit more dangerously.

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"No," was all Sirius Black managed to get out.

He had to admit, Snape could be down right scary when he wanted to be. It was somewhat confusing actually. He didn't remember ever feeling that way towards Snape before, especially not when they were young and in school. Though now that he thought about it, the Potions Master had changed quite a bit since then. Snape was much taller now, towering over Sirius by at least two or three inches. There was a hardness to those coal black eyes, probably from all the years he spent working undercover as Dumbledore's spy. There were lines around his eyes from what Sirius presumed was a massive amount of stress. Not to mention, the man was nearly as pale as soft cream. Put that altogether and it was enough to make him look intimidating, yet a bit sickly.

"Good," the Potions Master said stiffly before striding out of the Hospital Wing.

Sirius slumped in his chair as soon as the other left the room. Sighing, he shook his head slightly before turning back to the bed. A small smile flitted across his face at the sight of his godson curled up under the blanket, sleeping peacefully.

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Severus strode through the castle and out onto the grounds. He was late already, causing hope to flair through him that the Dark Lord didn't need anything immediately but the man was known to be rather impatient. Quickening his strides, he made it beyond the grounds' wards and apparated away.

After coming to a halt, Snape found himself on the pathway to a drab, overly large house. He swiftly made his way up the path and into the building. Without hesitating, he entered through the front door before climbing the staircase and sweeping down a long hallway to an open door near the end.

Inside stood Lucius Malfoy next to a seated man. Lucius gave a curt nod to Severus but remained silent. The other man, who sat stiffly in the plush armchair motioned for the two men to take a seat across from him in front of the fireplace. They both gazed over at the man. He no longer looked like the snake creature he had appeared to be only months previous. Now he had short, meticulously-styled, black hair; though if one looked closely, they could see grey hairs sprouting near his temples. Faint wrinkles crinkled the corners of his eyes, making slight crow's feet. His red eyes were drooping slightly and faded. There was a hint of stubble along his chin, making them assume he hadn't bothered to shave that morning. Over all his facial appearance, seemed exhausted. This led them to believe that the stress of trying to take over the wizarding world was finally getting to the normally stoic man. At least he was able to go through with their plans in a more human form, which was a lot more comforting to all of them.

(How Ralph Fiennes really looks, cause he actually does play Voldemort in the movies. Picture him like this but a wee bit older. http:// werievents. files. wordpress. com/ 2008/ 09/ ralph-fiennes. jpg Just remove the spaces.)

Voldemort glanced at each man in turn before sighing. Severus had to restrain himself from letting a brow rise in curiosity. He had never seen his master in such a way before.

"You two are my most trusted Death Eaters. After proving yourself time and time again, I believe it is important I disclose something with the both of you," Voldemort said softly. Outwardly, he seemed nonchalant but deep in those swirling red eyes, both men could tell he was battling with himself over some matter.

"I need to tell you about the night I lost my body. The truth of what really happened…"

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Harry was fidgeting on the hospital bed. He was so sick of being around this particular wing of Hogwarts. All he wanted was to go to his dorm and sleep in his own bed. He couldn't wait to get back to classes. All this lying around was driving him crazy. As much as he hated doing school work, he would rather do that than stay in the hospital wing for one more moment.

As if answering his pleading thoughts, Madame Pomphrey approached his bed. Sirius had left not too long ago to attend to some matters he refused to tell Harry about, so he was now alone trying to amuse himself.

"Mr. Potter. You may leave now. Don't overwork yourself and no rough housing. I want you back in here once a week for the next month for check-ups. Do I make myself clear?" the stern woman ordered.

Harry nodded quickly. Flying off the bed, he slipped his shoes on and nearly ran out the double doors. He was so excited to get out. A nice long fly on his broom seemed like paradise. Noticing how dark it already was, he figured that would have to wait till the day after. Instead he headed up to Gryffindor tower to get settled in. He had a feeling it was going to be extremely awkward staying there.

Just as he slipped past the Fat Lady's portrait, he was rushed by a tall redhead and a shorter brunet. Ron and Hermione were standing in front of him talking a mile a minute. From what he could make out, they were asking him if he was alright and something about the adoption and slimy Slytherins. Confusion set in quickly in his exhausted mind.

"Whoa, what? Since when are you talking to me again?" Harry demanded to know. He noticed that most of the common room's occupants were listening in on the conversation.

The couple looked at each other for a brief second before turning to the other member of their trio. "We changed our minds," Hermione said briefly.

Something strange was going on. Harry didn't believe them at all. "How can you just change your minds after how you treated me? You knew I didn't kill Cedric. Voldemort did! And yet you guys still blamed me!" he said angrily, ignoring everyone's flinch at the name.

Ron's face was steadily turning red while Hermione produced her patented scowl she always got when arguing about something she didn't want to lose. They were silent for a moment. "That's in the past. How could you let Snape become your guardian?! That greasy git will probably hand you right over to You-Know-Who the first chance he gets!" Ron said, changing topics without giving an actual answer to the bespectacled boy's question.

Harry could feel his anger rising. How could they be so harsh towards him, calling him a murderer and then wanting to be his friend again but telling him to get rid of the only adult who's actually cared for him properly? It just didn't make any sense to him at all. They didn't even apologize for how they had acted earlier, just shrugged it off. It aggravated him to no end too just by the fact that they were acting as if they could control his life. "I don't believe you. Neither of you would just up and change your minds like that. Severus is staying as my guardian, whether you like it or not. If not for him, I could be dead by now. He cares more about me than my aunt and uncle ever did. So no, I'm not leaving him just because you don't like him. If you don't like it, then too bad for you," he said bluntly.

If it was possible, it seemed Ron turned even more red, taking on a purple hue. Harry had to suppress a shudder when it reminded him of Vernon when the man was angered. "So you're turning into one of them. After all we did for you, you're becoming a snake. I knew we shouldn't have tried this. He's already turning dark. I bet he'll go running to You-Know-You and become his lapdog!" the boy snarled to the others.

He had to admit, he wasn't really surprised. Ron never had been much in the way of faithfulness, especially towards his supposed best mate. It was like second year all over again. "I am not turning dark. If you had really been there for me, you wouldn't believe all that rubbish out there about me. Ron, you need to work on your loyalty to friends. It's severely lacking," Harry said poker-faced.

Ron officially passed the purple stage. He was now heading into darker territory. Harry had a feeling he should get out of there while he could before hexes started flying. He wasn't ready for the fist that flew at him though. Before he could dodge the hit, it slammed into his cheek. Harry cried out before crashing to the ground. Silence flooded the room. No one moved an inch, all eyes on the two boys.

Harry was too shocked to say anything. Pushing himself up off the ground, he glared at the red head before turning and stalking from the common room. He slammed the portrait behind him before running through the halls. There was only one place he had in mind to go to: Severus' quarters. He had to admit that he was glad the man was now his guardian, if not, he didn't know where he would go or what he would do.

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Knocking on the Potion Master's portrait entrance, he waited. When no answer came, he figured the man was out at the moment and would be back soon, at least he hoped so. Leaning against the opposite wall, he slouched down until he was sitting on the floor. Pulling his knees up to his chest, he wrapped his arms around them, trying to get the chill from the dungeons to leave him. Closing his eyes, he buried his face in his knees, trying to forget what had just happened.

He must have dozed off at some point, for when he next looked up, Severus was kneeling in front of him. The man's dark eyes glimmered in concern. Scooping the boy up from the ground, he carried him into the small sitting room. Placing the boy on the couch, he sat down next to him while lighting a fire in fireplace off to the right. As soon as the room was lit with a warm glow he turned to his new charge.

Harry tried to keep his throbbing face away from the man's gaze. Severus saw the large bruise first though. The Gryffindor sat still as the man left the room for a moment before coming back with a small container. He couldn't help but let loose a wince as the potion stained fingers carefully smeared a cream on his darkened skin.

"There, that should help heal the bruise so it should be mostly gone by tomorrow morning. Now, are you going to tell me what happened to cause this?" the dark man inquired.

Sighing, Harry knew he wouldn't and shouldn't keep it from Severus. Especially if Ron decided to go after him again at some point. He didn't doubt that the rumors and name-calling would continue if not grow larger as time went on. "I went to the tower after Madame Pomphrey let me go. When I got there, Ron and Hermione came up to me. They were being all worried and trying to be friends again. They wanted me to go back to the Dursley's but I told them I wasn't going to ever go back there. Then Ron started saying I was going dark and that I was going to become Voldemort's pet. I told him that I wasn't dark and that he was horrible when it came to being loyal to a friend and believing all those rumors about me. He got mad and punched me. I left after that and came here," he briefly explained quietly.

"I'm proud of you for not engaging in the fight. I think we will have a talk with the Headmaster tomorrow about this. I have a feeling Weasley will continue on with his childishness if we don't do something about it and soon. For now though, one hundred points from Gryffindor house for Weasley acting with physical violence towards another student. I will assign him a week's worth of detentions also. You start classes tomorrow, so get some sleep. I don't have a spare room but you can sleep on the couch if you want," Severus said, conjuring a pillow and thick blanket for the teen.

Harry quickly gave him a small hug before curling up under the blanket. He didn't miss the small smile directed at him during the embrace. Relaxing, he slipped off into a gentle slumber.

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It was just before breakfast when he was awoken. Severus was already up and moving around, nursing a cup of strong tea. "We need to go see the Headmaster before breakfast, so you better hurry up and get ready. I took the liberty to get a house elf to bring your things down here. The bathroom is down the hall to the left," the man said.

Harry nodded before jumping up and running to said room. His guardian was already waiting at the door when he came up with his uniform on and satchel by his side. All of his books and school things were in the bag, which had a lightening charm on it so it wouldn't weigh down on his shoulders and neck.

The two of them swiftly strode up to the Headmaster's office. Just as they were approaching the gargoyle, Severus said, "Your teachers have kindly excused you from any homework you may have missed in the past week due to the circumstances. I do however expect you to get caught up in any lessons you will need to know."

"Thanks Professor," Harry said, grinning at the taller male. Severus murmured the password and they ascended the stairs to the office above.

Before they could knock, Dumbledore's voice called out to them to enter. The two men entered to see the old man at his desk, writing on some pieces of parchment. They sat in the offered chairs. It was a moment before the Headmaster finally looked up. "What can I help you with gentlemen?" he inquired.

"We've come to lodge a formal complaint against Mr. Weasley. He verbally attacked Mr. Potter last night before letting it become physical. In concern to Mr. Potter's safety in Gryffindor house, I would like to issue a resorting," Snape answered sternly.

Both Harry and Dumbledore looked at him in surprise. Neither had been expecting that. Harry had to agree though. He knew he wouldn't be safe in the lion house anymore, not if Ron kept up his hatred. "Severus, are you sure? I'm certain Mr. Potter will be fine in Gryffindor. I will have a word with Mr. Weasley and I'm positive we can sort this out," Dumbledore argued.

"No Albus. You and I both know this won't end like that. The attacks will only get worse over time. The attackers will become stealthier in hiding the fact that they were the ones to go after Mr. Potter. In switching houses we can ensure Mr. Potter is at least secure in that he will not be attacked in his sleep. I use my rights as a Professor of Hogwarts and Mr. Potter's legal guardian to demand a resorting in my concern for his well-being," Severus said smugly.

Harry couldn't help but notice the little smirk that played at the corner of Sev's mouth. He had a feeling there was something the man knew and had not told him yet. Making a silent promise to himself to figure out whatever it was the man was hiding, he turned back to survey the Headmaster.

Dumbledore, knowing he was caught in the legalities Severus had used, sighed. "Alright. I will allow a resorting as long as Padfoot stays in your dormitory during the evening and nights for added protection," he bartered.

Both Harry and Severus knew why the old man was doing this. He didn't trust the Slytherins at all. Harry agreed. It would be nice to have his godfather around more often. He'd missed the man a lot over the past year.

The Headmaster stood then, grabbing the Sorting Hat and placing it on Harry's head. 'Ahh, Mr. Potter. You're back then, are you? Are you going to allow me to put you in your rightful place this time or are you going to argue with me again? I have all the time in the world, you know,' the object teased.

Harry giggled. 'No, I won't argue this time. You can put me where ever you want,' he answered.

'Finally! Then let's make it…' There was a moment of tense silence in the room. "Slytherin!" the hat pronounced.

"Very well then Mr. Potter. Your possessions will be moved into the dungeons. Padfoot will be there by the end of the day. Now all we need to do is change your classes to those of your fellow Slytherins and change your uniform colors," Dumbledore said before making the necessary changes. "Run along now before you miss breakfast."

Severus and Harry stood, making their way out of the office. Neither said a word until they were nearly at the Great Hall. "Thank you," Harry said, turning to face his new Head of House.

"It was no problem at all Harry. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me. Now run along. Breakfast will end shortly. I do believe Draco will be excited to see you," Severus said, smirking slightly at the blush that painted Harry's cheeks.

Harry just shook his head and entered the Hall. Breathing deeply he made his way over to the Slytherin table. All eyes were quickly zoomed in on him. The blonde noticed him right away, a smile gracing his aristocratic features. No one said a word as he took a seat next to the boy.

"I see you have finally joined your rightful place amongst us," Draco said.

Harry managed a quiet 'yeah'. He was shaking slightly at the stare of every single student and teacher focused solely on him. It was extremely intimidating and nerve wracking.

"Then let me be the first to welcome you to Slytherin House," replied Draco.

A loud round of clapping and cheers rang out from his new housemates. Everyone else was too shocked to move or say anything. Harry smiled slightly at all of the Slytherins before Draco began placing food on his plate. He had a feeling he would fit in well with these misunderstood students.

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**Thanks for reading. I'll hopefully be updating more often now. I'm over my writer's block and I already have three more chapters planned out. Please review and let me know what you think.**


	9. Author's Note 2011

Hey everyone. It's been what nearly two years since I last updated? Good news is I'm still alive! Bad news is, is that I won't be writing this story anymore, or my other for that matter. I'm in my second year of university and I just don't have the time or effort to get back into this whole scene. I still read plenty, just no writing. I'm in the process of finishing a writing diploma before I begin a Bachelor in Fine Arts and there's a lot I've learned so far.

Unfortunately, that covers the aspect of writing something I know I can never get published due to copyright infringements. It's kind of depressing. Plus I just don't like the story ideas I was working with. So in other words, I'll be deleting this story from my account in a few days. If anyone wants to pick it up and finish it off, feel free. The only thing I ask is that you give me credit for the original idea and let me know beforehand that you're going to work with it. If I still have the document on my computer that has my notes and the rest of the writing, I'll send it to ya if you can supply me with an email address.

Thanks for all the loyal readers out there. You guys made everything worth it! I wish you all the best with your writings and whatever you plan to do with your lives. Keep on living it up! :]


	10. Finale!

Hey everyone!

Sorry for the wait, but I finally chose someone to take over the story. I'd love to introduce KoiinuNe. I'm not sure when everything will be up and running again, but head on over to KoiinuNe's profile to keep posted. Thanks for all the well wishes and the many visitors over the last while. I hope you all enjoyed what I posted, and keep on reading. :]

Taylor M.


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